Recently every time I have heard a bike engine revving or a plane fly over I have hesitated for a moment. The red alert sirens in Tel Aviv, five in the last four days, were certainly not what I expected when I moved to Israel almost eight months ago.

Gaza has been under siege since January 2006, after its residents dared to elect a Hamas goverment. The subsequent economic blockade imposed upon the Strip by the Israeli government at one stage prevented the residents of Gaza from importing, among other things, coriander, ginger, nutmeg and, even, newspapers.